Whitman School Announces Leadership Changes

Effective May 16, the Whitman School’s educational offerings are organized under two new associate dean roles. Areas of responsibility for the new positions are now divided between full-time degree programs and part-time offerings aimed at adult, professional and executive audiences. Don Harter, formerly the associate dean for master’s programs, was appointed associate dean for online and executive education; Alexander McKelvie, formerly associate professor and chair of the entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises (EEE) department, was promoted to full professor and will serve as associate dean for undergraduate and fulltime master’s education.

“The driving considerations in reconfiguring these roles include the forthcoming wave of innovation in our educational programs driven by our strategic plan; leveraging integrative and collaborative opportunities across individual programs, other units within the school, and across the university; and responding to the rapidly changing and growing market for lifelong learning,” said Dean Anderson.

As associate dean for online and executive education, Professor Harter will continue to lead the online offerings, in partnership with 2U. He also will have primary academic oversight of Defense Programs and Executive Education. In addition to his administrative role, Professor Harter teaches the MBA courses in business analytics and project management, and a doctoral seminar in research methods. His research focuses on project management and software process improvement and examines the organizational benefits of process maturity on software quality, development effort and development time. His current work examines the effect of software improvements on personal issues, including hiring policies, salaries, promotions, attrition, management span of control and organizational design. He holds a Ph.D. in information systems from Carnegie Mellon University.

As associate dean for undergraduate and full-time master’s education, Professor McKelvie will oversee the Whitman School’s undergraduate business education offerings and full-time master’s and certificate programs, working closely with the department chairs, the respective curriculum boards for these programs and the school’s governing faculty. Professor McKelvie will continue as EEE department chair. While at the Whitman School, he has taken a leading role in developing and teaching world-class programs, including designing new courses and training programs for Syracuse University’s Institute for Veteran and Military Families. Professor McKelvie has received teaching awards from Syracuse University, the Whitman School of Management, the EEE Department, and from his former university in Sweden. He has worked with many entrepreneurial startups during this time as well. His scholarly work, which has received a number of international awards, deals with questions regarding two main areas: how and why do firms grow, and how do entrepreneurs make decisions about opportunities. He holds a Ph.D. in business administration from Jönköping International Business School.

Michel Benaroch will continue as associate dean for research and the Ph.D. program.

About the Whitman School

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University educates students to become successful entrepreneurial leaders in a rapidly changing global economy. The Whitman School offers B.S., MBA, M.S. and Ph.D. programs, all accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The school’s faculty includes internationally known scholars and researchers, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Whitman continues to be ranked among the nation’s top business schools by U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

About Syracuse University

Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is a private international research university dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering student success through teaching excellence, rigorous scholarship and interdisciplinary research. Comprising 11 academic schools and colleges, the University has a long legacy of excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional disciplines that prepares students for the complex challenges and emerging opportunities of a rapidly changing world. Students enjoy the resources of a 270-acre main campus and extended campus venues in major national metropolitan hubs and across three continents. Syracuse’s student body is among the most diverse for an institution of its kind across multiple dimensions, and students typically represent all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Syracuse also has a long legacy of supporting veterans and is home to the nationally recognized Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the first university-based institute in the U.S. focused on addressing the unique needs of veterans and their families. To learn more about Syracuse University, visit syracuse.edu.